Singer-songwriter and keyboardist Christine McPhee, who long entertained in London-born band Fleetwood Mac before becoming a major contributor to the group’s multi-platinum success in the late 1970s, died Nov. 30 after a brief illness. She was 79 years old.
Her family released a statement saying, “On behalf of Christine McPhee’s family, it is with a heavy heart that we inform you of Christine’s death. She passed away peacefully in hospital this morning, Wednesday 30 November 2022, after a long illness. She was accompanied by her family. Please respect the family’s privacy at this very painful time.” We would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, respected musician who was universally loved. RIP Christine McPhee.”
Fleetwood Mac’s statement said: “There are no words to describe our grief at the passing of Christine McPhee. She truly was one of a kind, special and immeasurably talented. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were lucky.” “So much because we live with her. Individually and collectively, we cherish Christine deeply and thank her for the wonderful memories we have. She will be greatly missed.”
Originally known professionally by her maiden name, Christine Perfect, she first hit the charts as a member of British blues-rock group Chicken Shack, taking vocals on the UK No. 14 hit “I’d Rather Go Blind,” the band’s 1969 cover of the singer’s number American Etta James 1967 R&B No. She was named Best Female Singer by British weekly Melody Maker in 1969-1970.
By that time, she had married John McPhee, guitarist for English blues-rock unit Fleetwood Mac, and was then led by guitarist and founder Peter Green. She appeared on the band’s sophomore album, “Mr. Fabulous” (1968) and on Greene’s last record with the group he founded, “Then Play On” (1969).
Christine McPhee joined as a permanent member in 1971, weathering a series of line-up changes within Fleetwood Mac that saw the departure of guitarists and singer-songwriters Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan and the rise of American singer-songwriter and guitarist Bob Welch.
Over the course of five releases from 1971 to 1974, she grew as an artistic force in the band as songwriter and lead singer, but the band was largely seen as a deft work, forgotten in her native country and modestly successful in the United States (where he would eventually reside). in the late seventies).
However, following the arrival of American duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in the band on New Year’s Eve 1974, Fleetwood Mac underwent a transformation and became a pop music juggernaut. Singer-songwriter and keyboardist McVie has played a significant role in her multi-platinum efforts, with her warmth and charisma balancing out the contributions of her new, younger bandmates.
The New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote in a 2014 review, “Ms. McPhee was the gentler, softer voice alongside the band’s other songwriters: Ms. Nicks—sometimes dreamy, sometimes vindictive—and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who inserted lyrics Furious, wounded songs to her virtuoso guitar parts…. Ms. McVie’s demure alto ties together the group’s vocal harmonies; her songs promise that loyal affection is still possible”.
In the early days of the band’s chart dominance, McPhee’s voice was usually the sound listeners heard coming off their radios: She wrote and sang two of her hits from Reprise’s self-titled 1975 album “Over My Head” (No 20) and “Say You Love Me” (No. 11). Even with the deepest cuts gaining rock radio album traction, the LP climbed to number one and has been certified for sales of five million.
As Fleetwood Mac soared up the charts, the band experienced all the excesses and tensions that sudden fame, massive fortune, outsized industry clout, and elevated label expectations could bring to a rock group, completing the successor to the hit album Rumors (1977) seemed like a miracle in hindsight.
Writer Dave DiMartino noted in the 2004 extended edition of the album, “…[T]The coolest aspect of “Rumours” is twofold: 1) it’s an extraordinarily rich and rich album featuring rock ‘n’ roll greatness at its best; 2) In retrospect, it is remarkable that it was made in the first place. One of the few records that seamlessly blends real-life experience with art, the album that defined an era for so many people was emotionally terrifying for each of the band members who made it.”
Buckingham and Nicks’ personal relationship and McVeigh’s marriage (the latter due to Christine’s affair with the group’s lighting director) disintegrated during the lead-up to the release of “Rumours,” but the group translated the friction into a song that universally embraced its cycle about romantic decay. The album has moved over 19 million copies in the United States; Christine McPhee was responsible for the group’s two brightest hits, “Don’t Stop” (No. 3) and “You Make Loving Fun” (No. 9). “Rumours” won a Grammy Award as Album of the Year in 1978.
Although the band never came close to achieving the commercial achievements of their peak in ’77, they held together as a platinum-plus record and tour in the ’90s. McVie wrote and sang several of the group’s most popular singles: “Think of Me” (from 1979’s “Tusk”, No. 20); “Hold Me” (from 1982’s “The Mirage”, No. 4); and “Little Lies” (from “Tango in the Night” 1987, No. 4). The latter song was co-written by McPhee’s second husband, Eddie Quintilla (whom she divorced in 2003).
The late 1980s and 1990s saw another period of instability within Fleetwood Mac with the departures of both Buckingham and Nicks for the solo career. At the request of Bill Clinton, who used “Don’t Stop” as the theme song for his 1992 presidential campaign, the ’70s line-up repackaged the song for Clinton’s 1993 inauguration. However, McVie opted out of the 1994 tour, and after the release of the studio album Flop 1995″ Time” and the Quintuple-Platinum 1997 live compilation “The Dance”, she announced she was leaving the band, citing an escalating fear of flying.
However, her exit proved to be only a prolonged regression of 18 years, and in early 2014 she returned to the recording and touring line-up of Fleetwood Mac, which at that time also included Buckingham and the Nicks.
During a 2015 interview with The New Yorker, she showed off a silver chain on her wrist by writer Rachel Sim. She said, “Stevie gave me this chain, and it had a diamond feather on it. It’s a metaphor, you know. That band’s chain would never break. Not be me, anyway. Not again by me.”
Although the group’s tour of North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand proved to be a huge success, Nicks’ reluctance put out a follow-up album on the Mac. However, in 2017, the duet album “Lindsey Buckingham / Christine McVie”, which also features the band’s eponymous rhythm section, reached the top 20 in the US. But within a year, after an argument over an expected tour, Buckingham was removed from the line-up, proving once again that the only enduring thing about Fleetwood Mac was impermanence.
Along with her ex-husband and other band members in the 1960s and 1970s, Christine McPhee was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
She was born on July 12, 1943 in Booth, Lake County, England. Her father was a violinist and elementary school music teacher. She started studying piano at the age of eleven. Influenced by her brother John, himself a musician, she turned her interest to rock and roll in her mid-teens.
After attending art school in the Midlands city of Birmingham, she began singing and playing in Chicken Shack, a blues/R&B band in Stourbridge led by guitarist Stan Webb. Law was signed to Blue Horizon Records producer Mike Vernon, whose roster also includes Fleetwood Mac; The act is named after the two rhythm players, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McPhee, former members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Along with her early musical contributions, McVie created the cover artwork for Fleetwood Mac’s 1970 LP “Kiln House”. Although she worked in the shadows of both Kirwan and Welch in her early years with the band, McVie made notable contributions to the albums “Future Games” (1971), “Bare Trees” (1972), “Penguin” (1973) and ” Mystery to Me” (1973). Its lead single appeared on the top-acting early 1970s compilation “Heroes Are Hard to Find” (#34).
McVie has released three solo albums; Her eponymous 1984 release was the only one to reach the US charts, peaking at No. 26.
Between her 1976 divorce from McPhee and her 1986 marriage to Quintella, she was engaged for three years to drummer, songwriter, and singer Dennis Wilson.
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